


Nine (Interlude)

by pureklaination



Series: Year In The Life [3]
Category: Glee RPF, Teen Wolf RPF - Fandom
Genre: CrissCoBrien, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pureklaination/pseuds/pureklaination
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Chris had feelings too, but no one paid attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nine (Interlude)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crisscobrien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crisscobrien/gifts).



2011

 

Before the final show they had lounged around in bed, naked and shameless on the hotel-issue white sheets. They’d kissed for hours and ordered service whenever they felt the need.

They were beyond comfortable together now, having kept this thing a secret for the most part. It was possibly the worst kept secret in the history of forever, but a secret none the less.

They shared a room at as many stops along the way as possible, their luggage was easily split between the cases but hopelessly intertwined. It was almost like they would head home together at the end and do their laundry together.

That was probably the moment Chris decided that if he didn’t break it off in that moment he would marry Darren.

He started the show cautiously optimistic and his instinct to run was locked in a box, firmly lidded and tucked away.

Coming out of the changing rooms for the last number was like being hit in the face with a bucket of ice water. Chris could not believe how quickly the tour had come to a close, it felt like just a few days before that he’d waved goodbye to his mom and dad and gotten in the car to the studio.

To be fair, there had been moments when he thought that the stupid thing would never end. Namely the long nights shared with people who snored in the same room, making it near on impossible to fall asleep at night.

But right then, on that stage, he became an adrenalin junkie, needing the applause, feeling it travel electrified down his spine to his legs, making them move forward through the motions until he was snapped out of it with a sudden kiss. Then it didn’t feel like it was Kurt and Blaine anymore. Darren, he supposed, had maybe taken it a bit too far.

Chris had cornered him by the stage in the buzz and excitement of finishing up, looked straight in his eyes, still tinged with gold from the low backstage lights, and told him in no uncertain terms that the _tour_ was over for them.

The precious, loose fun game they had played while traipsing from bus to plane back to the bus and then in hotels night after night would end right there.

Reality meant letting go of the stolen moments of quiet between shows when he wasn’t writing and going back to getting up with the crack of dawn to be squeaky clean for the cameras at 6am.

He couldn’t even justify to himself why he did it, or focus too long on the crushed look in Darren’s eyes when he had turned on his heel and walked away.

Chris never really explained it to Darren either, at the time it just didn’t seem like a good idea. He was so young and they were so passionate it was overwhelming in the worst possible way.

It was enough to make him run.

Darren was nice enough to bring his clothes back, laundered and folded in a plastic bag. Chris had put it in his car and closed the trunk and said “thank you”quietly under his breath.

***

Since then, he’d always been running from something. Not commitment per say, but that all-consuming lust. He ached to leave the world behind and fall into one of his stories. So he wrote. A lot. When he wasn’t working he was writing and that was about the time he met _him_. He was safe, easy to be with, didn’t expect anything more than to tag along with Chris’s life exactly how it was.

He was boring.

***

They got in trouble for the amount of fraternization there was on tour, the directors saying in no uncertain terms that there wouldn’t be another . But that was after, well after, Chris had broken it off. By that time it certainly didn’t apply to him.

About halfway through the next season they called a truce about the same time that Darren decided that they couldn’t work together anymore. Said there was bleed in his character because every time that Chris looked at him, his heart broke a little more.

They had it out, loudly and for hours, accusations flying back and forth about being with other people and not being satisfied with what they had.

About Chris settling for second best. He knew that, really; he didn’t need to be told.

But it hurt a lot more coming from Darren.

Then they had sex, and that’s all Chris can really remember from that night.

***

While they were filming The Break Up Chris had an epiphany, a realization about the hugely monumental fuck up he’d made.

But by then Darren’s publicist had firmly placed _her_ by Darren’s side. They weren't sent to the same events purely because during their disagreement; Darren and Chris had both been careful to not be put in that position.

Darren went on tour. According to the emails he was having a blast, every night there was a new story from their lives on the road. One casually short just saying, _”Can’t talk, will make up for it tomorrow.”_

***

Nine months later and their friendship had a new considerable closeness. After much conversation via email and text, they made the decision together for Darren to attend the Struck By Lightning première party. They worked together after all.

Darren quietly told his manager that he would do what he fucking liked. His manager took revenge by plugging Darren’s side projects on Twitter, at every available opportunity.

While Chris was watching all of this happen, he wrote another book, hiding from his life in the best way possible. He worked when he had to and enjoyed it sometimes.

The PCA’s were a glimmer of hope in the darkness. He watched Darren flirt his way through the evening with Dylan and sparking at the possibility of him finally being ready for something new.

***

Fast-forward to now and Chris was bored, sitting in his parents’ kitchen and flicking off texts to Darren to keep himself occupied. Darren wasn’t answering and that was frustrating beyond belief. Chris had been hoping to break the monotony with a road trip at least for the afternoon.

_Fuck it._

Shrugging at no one in particular, he grabbed his things and got in the car.

It was late when he got to Darren’s house; traffic heading into the city had been painful to say the least. There were no cars in the drive, and Chris thought about calling Darren one more time just to check if he was home.

Ten minutes later, Chris was still sitting in the car, there was a faint hint of music coming from somewhere inside. That was when he remembered the key on his ring from the last time Darren was out with the flu. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and rubbed his thumb over an old looking gold one.

He could just let himself inside and find out why Darren hadn’t responded to a single text all day. He could knock. He should probably knock first.

Chris got out of the car, taking just his keys and phone with him. If he needed his satchel he could come back and grab it later. He slipped the phone in his pocket and made his way to the front steps, breathing deeply before knocking. Loudly and confidently.

Five minutes later he used the key, letting himself in quietly and walking through the hallway and towards the kitchen.

“Dare?” Chris said, “You didn’t answer your phone so I thought I would come and check in with you. Are you home?”

Darren looked stressed and excited simultaneously when he barrelled through the back door a minute later and ran towards the stairs. When he turned around his face was twisted, like he was in pain. “Chris! Hi! I can’t believe you’re here. Uhm, I’m busy.”

Rolling his eyes, Chris’s automatic reaction was to respond sarcastically with, “Hi Darren, it’s nice to see you, how you been?” He put his keys down.

But Darren only asked how he’d gotten inside. Raising his eyebrow, he replied, “You’re acting like I broke in -- I used the key that you gave me last time you had the flu. I thought you were passed out or something.”

Darren looked around the room nervously; it showed on his face and in the way that he couldn’t keep his hands still. “I-I’m just busy is all, left my phone upstairs and just checked it actually. Thanks for… being concerned.”

Then the back door opened a second time. Dylan. Chris suddenly felt nauseated. He should have known there would have been a perfectly good reason for Darren not answering his phone. It took Dylan a couple of seconds to realise Chris was standing there. But when he did, his eyes went wide and he stopped talking.

Chris was absolutely mortified. He tried covering it up with a casual, “Evening, Dylan, isn’t it? Darren, you could have told me you had a guest. I’ll just get out of your hair now.”

Dylan started to reply. “Hi, Chris you don’t have to go we were just-” Whatever they were *just* he definitely did not want to know. “I had other plans for this evening but thank you. Darren we- we’ll talk later?”

Chris nodded in response to Darren’s half-hearted “yeah,” then let himself out, locking the door behind him. He got in the car, started it up in a haze and made it the whole way down Darren’s road and around the corner before pulling over.

He had no right to breakdown, to cry on the side of the road over some guy. Some guy who’s heart he’d already broken once.

***

Chris didn’t go home that night. He checked into a hotel a few blocks from Darren’s house and proceeded to eat his way through half the room service dessert menu and ordering crappy romance movies off of cable.

He thought vaguely about messaging Darren in the morning, but instead chose to just drive home.

Chris might have been wallowing. When he left his parents a few days later for the airport and blissful _home,_ his mother had put a hand to his cheek and told him that whomever it was wasn’t worth it. She was probably referencing the wrong person though.

Darren was definitely worth it.

But he had no right to try and screw up whatever Darren had going with Dylan. No right to interfere with Darren’s life at all really.

They went back to work a few days after Chris had gotten home. He set a teabag to seep in his travel cup and went to shower for the day. When he was finished and dressed, Chris checked his phone before shoving it in his bag.

**[Darren] Can we agree not to talk about the other night until work is finished?**

_{Chris} We don’t have to talk about it at all._

**[Darren] Yeah we do.**

Work that day was painful, to say the least. The first scene he filmed was with Darren, and the second and the third.

At 7pm the cast was released for the day, with a reminder to be there early the next day to throw off the post break blues.

“Post break blues have nothing to do with it,” Darren said, walking up behind Chris as he made his way to his trailer.

Chris sighed heavily. “Darren, do we have to do this? It’s been a really _really_ long day and I just want to go home, feed Brian…”

Darren came to a stop next to him in front of his trailer door, “If you’re going home, I’m going with you. We’re going to talk about this like adults and you’re going to explain to me why you’re walking around like a wounded puppy when I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Chris scoffed. “Think a little highly of yourself don’t you?” He would never admit it and Darren couldn’t force him too. “It has nothing to do with you, I’m just going through some stuff is all.”

“Christopher, you’ve never been less honest with me in your life.” Darren looked at him steadily.

Chris was ashamed enough not to be able to meet his eyes properly. “That’s not true.”

Darren damn near _stamped his footin frustration. “Chris we’re talking this out tonight one way or another, I’m going to grab us some beer and food for dinner and I will be at your house in 20 minutes.” He paused, then added as an afterthought, “and I have a key too.”_

Shit.

***

Thirty minutes later they were sitting on Chris’s couch with containers of Chinese food spread out between them, beers open on the table. Darren chewed from across the couch, like he was considering very carefully what he was going to say and it was making Chris nervous.

Chris chewed through his food quickly, too tired to eat with more decorum. “I’m sorry for just showing up at your house the other night, we should probably get this awkward part out of the way early.” He said after he’d swallowed his mouth full. It sat like a lump in his oesophagus.

“You were concerned, I get that. What I don’t get is why you ran away after and haven’t spoken to me since? We’re friends, Chris, there’s no reason for you to make me feel horrible for being on a date.”

Outraged, Chris put his container on the table beside them and picked up his beer for something to help the food go down. “Darren you can’t be serious. I wasn’t anything less than cordial to _Dylan_ and I didn’t intentionally make you feel horrible. I would never.”

Darren put his own container down against his ankle on the couch in front of him, snorting out. “If it wasn’t your <intention

to make me feel horrible, why have you been ignoring my texts for the past week?” He took a swig of his beer.

“You ignored mine, I figured you didn’t want to talk.” Chris replied.

“It was one day and you know why.” Darren stated, taking another drink. “Besides, you don’t have any kind of prior claim on me, Chris. We’ve been through this,” he added, softer this time.

It was Chris turn to scoff. “Don’t you think I know that I have no prior claim on your life?” He put his beer down again, picking at a prawn cracker instead. “Our history doesn’t excuse my behaviour, I’m well aware. I just- he’s…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He wanted to say something about Dylan being kind of perfect for Darren. That they had undeniable chemistry. That he wanted Darren to look at him like that again.

“Please, elaborate,” Darren asked.

“I don’t know what to _say_.” Chris could feel his throat closing. This pressure -- it was what he had been avoiding years ago when they broke up. The feeling of being closed in and locked into a certain way of life. “You guys looked adorable together.” That he was not supposed to say out loud. Crap.

Darren finally finished eating and shuffled to put his container down on the table, ‘Chris, I loved you. Back then and a part of me still does. But I can’t put my life on hold waiting for you to be ready to have the kind of relationship I want. Plus- you’re still with whatshisface.” He added as an afterthought.

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” Chris confirmed, clearing his throat. “whatshisface is _out of the picture_.

Darren pursed his lips, “Well I’m sorry to hear that. You must be upset. I shouldn’t have made this about us. Of course you’re- shit. I’m sorry.”

“Not as upset as you’d think,” Chris replied.

Darren quirked an eyebrow, “So you thought we’d…?”

“Nope.” Chris said shaking his head. _liar,_ he thought to himself.

Eyeing Chris over the edge of his beer bottle, Darren thought for a moment before replying. “I like him, Chris. He’s so… He’s so honest.”

“Great, so he’s everything you’ve always wanted?” Chris snarked.

“He’s _simple_. And I don’t mean the way he acts. I mean being with him is so much less complicated than it was with us or with her or whatever. I like him and I’m enjoying spending time with him and Jesus Fucking Christ we’ve only had one date and I’m already defending our relationship to you. You’re not someone whose approval I need, Chris.”

That hurt to hear like a punch in the gut. “I just want to see you.” Chris said quietly, more to himself. It’s not like he knew what he was asking.

Darren got up from the couch and paced the space in front of it. “Like I wanted to see you after the tour?” And the hits just kept coming. “Like I wanted to work with you and maybe spend my weekends with you too? Like I wanted to support you while you were writing your books?”

“Okay, okay I get it.” Chris said, defeated.

“No, you clearly don’t. I wanted all that and more with you and you dumped our quasi-relationship on the floor like it meant nothing to you. Then, just in case that wasn’t enough, you decide that you’re not done with me just in time for me to start seeing someone who likes _me_ , respects me, just the way I am.”

Indigent, Chris butt in. “I respected you.”

Darren threw his hands in the air, “Sure you did. So much that you couldn’t even give me a reason why you ended things four years later.”

Enough was enough. “Darren, for fucks sake, I was barely more than a child on my first fucking tour with the greatest fucking guy on the planet wanting to spend time with me, _wanting_ me. How the hell was that ever going to keep up once we got home and returned to our normal, boring lives?” Chris got up, standing in front of Darren to make his point.

“You broke up with me because you were scared? You don’t think I was scared?” Darren shot back.

“You’ve got your life figured out you knew what you wanted!” Chris almost yelled back.

Darren stopped pacing and stood in front of Chris, close enough that he could feel Darren’s breath on his cheek when he exhaled sharply. “Yes, you idiot. All I wanted was _you_. Us.”

They stood there, in Chris’s living room, Brian watching warily from the couch.

Then they were kissing, sliding to the floor. Neither could tell who initiated it.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by em twobirdsonesong and cheered on by jen froggydarren
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMY5TlaUSts - Nine by La Dispute


End file.
